Gwynedd Council has been urged to “get its own house in order” amid a planned crackdown on residents leaving their bins and recycling boxes on the pavement for days at a time.

A recent meeting of the Communities Scrutiny Committee discussed possible enforcement options following concerns waste bins and recycling boxes were often being left out on the wrong days or not being taken in at all.

This, they said, had been a cause of concern in several towns and villages with pedestrians unable to use pavements.

But councillors also used the opportunity to urge officers to act on the authority’s own recycling lorries, which were said to be leaving “trails of paper and plastic”  while on their rounds across communities throughout the county.

Cllr Annwen Hughes said: “Living in the Harlech area, it’s clear to anyone when the recycling lorries have been to visit because there’s usually way more material spread across the side of the road, which by the looks of it is because the doors haven’t been shut properly.

“All of this recycling material is just left there and looks awful. I think its about time that someone had a word with the relevant staff and urged them to make sure that the contents isn’t allowed to fly out everywhere.

“I think we should be looking closer to home first before asking for the public’s help.”

Cllr Angela Russell added: “I’m sure that had we kept (private litter enforcement company) Kingdom, Gwynedd Council would have received the most fines for littering out of everyone.”

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